Sag Harbor resident, Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, also known as Dr. Sujay, is a trailblazer. She’s the founder of the Global Black Women’s Chamber of Commerce, the only chamber that focuses solely on Black women business owners. During the Obama administration, she was the first African American woman in the State of New York to be named Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. And she’s the author of nearly a dozen books, a television host, and a pastor.
This summer Dr. Sujay began a TV series on LTV titled “Live with Sujay: Black Women Leaders,” a lively half hour show where she interviews Black women on the East End and beyond who are leaders in their fields. The show, which launched in July, airs Wednesdays at 5:30 PM and is also available to view on YouTube.
“How awesome it is to bring my passion, my leadership to Long Island television, while interviewing some of the most powerful women in America, making history and filling a void that’s been missing from Long Island television for a while,” said Dr. Sujay. “I’m grateful to LTV, our gem, for providing the access, and having a production team who always executes with excellence, and who are fun and amazing to work with.”
A native New Yorker who was raised in the Bronx, Dr. Sujay has had a home Sag Harbor’s Azurest for the past 25 years, a community founded by a Black woman leader, Maude Terry. The community, which has been recognized as an historically African American community by the National Register of Historic Places, recently celebrated its 75th anniversary.
“This show also comes at a time when my community, Azurest, in the Village of Sag Harbor, is also celebrating our 75th anniversary and honoring our history of being founded by a Black woman leader,” said Dr. Sujay.
A Brooklyn schoolteacher, Maude Terry, while vacationing at a cottage in Eastville, came up with the plan for a private community for Black families on the undeveloped 20-acre parcel. Families began purchasing property for summer retreats in the area during the late 1940s, during a time when African American families were excluded from other resort areas and beaches in the state. Many homeowners included doctors, business owners, lawyers, academics, and artists.
“Now 300 homes later our village if thriving and alive,” said Dr. Sujay in a special about the community’s 75th Anniversary. “How I have loved living there. It’s a beach town, it’s a resort town, it’s a town where our villages love one another and look out for one another.”
The show focuses on the vital voices of Black women leaders that are business owners, executives, non-profit leaders, filmmakers, clothing designers, and so much more.
Her first guest was Vera Moore. Moore is a well known actor and founder or her namesake cruelty-free cosmetic and skincare line, which she created for women of color in 1979, after seeing a void in the market. To conclude her first show, Dr. Sujay asked Moore what she would say to other Black women leaders.
“Go for it. Don’t be afraid. Be fearless. And go in a room you’re not familiar with,” she replied.
Guests since the launch have included Jerri DeVard, Terra Reene, Judith Gaffney, Theresa Sanders, and Karen Broadway-Wilson.
“They’re calling me the ‘Oprah of the East.’ What a compliment. I just want to have an amazing show that all will love to watch,” she said.
